Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion

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Sunday 31st January 7.15pm
Premier League
Falmer Stadium​

A poor showing and result against Liverpool has continued our disappointing league form.
We've got a tough, congested month ahead and we need a response.
Our injury problems seem to be mounting too, so it's time for the manager to show what he's worth.
Our hosts are in desperate need of the points and we can expect a stern test.
Can Mourinho reinvigorate this struggling side or will we donate points to another relegation battler?

Brighton's first full season under Graham Potter was a mixed one, but it was taken quite positively.
They were never in the relegation zone and the style of play was more attractive, but 15th isn't amazing.
There wasn't a lot of money to spend in the summer, so expectations were tempered for this campaign.
Aaron Mooy's forced transfer to Shanghai SIPG for £4m was quite a blow, too.
He'd only signed a permanent contract with the club in January, but it contained a China release clause.

The Seagulls have struggled to stay out of the bottom three for most of this season, so far.
They only have three wins, all of which came away from home, but they've picked up nine draws, too.
They're staying competitive and grinding out some tough points, which might be enough to stay up.
It's a packed league with a lot of odd results and a couple of sides already look dead in the water.
Remaining in the top flight and getting through the current health crisis have to be the short-term aims.

Our match earlier in the season at home was fairly low on chances, but not on controversy (again).
A positive start lead to pressure and chances, which resulted in Lallana giving away a penalty.
Kane gave us the lead from the spot and that was how things went in at the break.
Our attempts to absorb pressure lead to their equaliser, as Lamptey fired home after Hojbjerg was fouled.
The woodwork looked to be keeping us out, until Bale headed home a late winner from a Reguilon cross:

The away trip was one of our worst performances of the season, starting disastrously and never getting better.
Hugo Lloris dropped an early cross, injuring himself badly in the process and allowing Maupay to score.
Aaron Connolly added a second before the break and they were fully deserving of that lead.
The youngster added a third just after the hour and we never looked like getting back into it.
Four more winless games and Pochettino was gone:

Lo Celso, Alli, Reguilon and Kane are out for the foreseeable future.
Andone, Lamptey, Welbeck, Jahanbakhsh and Izquierdo miss out for the hosts and Steele has been ill.
Neither side has any suspensions.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Rodon, Dier, Davies; Aurier, Ndombele, Hojbjerg, Doherty; Bergwijn, Kane, Son.
Subs: Hart, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Winks, Sissoko, Bale, Lamela, Moura, Vinicius.
League form: LDWDWL.

Brighton: Sanchez; White, Webster, Dunk; Veltman, Gross, Bissouma, Mac Allister, March; Trossard, Maupay.
Subs: Walton, Burn, Alzate, Moder, Propper, Lallana, Tau, Zeqiri, Connolly.
League form: DLDLWD.

Ref: Peter Bankes. VAR: David Coote.

TV: Sky Sports.

How would you like to line up for this one and what would you change from the Liverpool game?
Would you stick with much of the same lineup, make a few changes or go for a wholesale switch?
Which system and tactics would you use and what are you expecting Brighton to go with?

 

Spurs v a team that hasn't won at home all season - Can only mean only one thing - home win.

Injuries mean that we can't make as many changes as we probably should. I made it clear in the Liverpool match day thread that we should make changes to formation and personel. My team would be
Lloris
Tanganga Rodon Alderweireld Davies
Sissoko, Hojbjerg
Bergwijn, Ndombele Son
Vinicius

Got a feeling that Jose won't pick Vinicius and that Bale and Lucas will start and the undroppable Dier will also be in the team

 

The ubermensch has suggested Joe Rodon will start this one

He's also suggested Gareth Bale will get a run of games as a starting striker, which further begs the question about why he loaned in Vini if he never plans on using him

 

I’d play a similar team as TCM but **** all of the senior CBs off and give Lyons-Foster a debut. I can live with young, inexperienced players making mistakes instead of overpaid experienced brainfarting knobheads doing the same.

Hugo
Tanganga, Rodon, Lyons-Foster, Davies
Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Tanguy
Bale, Vinigoal, Son

I too am expecting Dier, Lucas/ Lamela/ Bergwijn etc to start though.

 

I'd rather we played somebody with first team experience

Maksim Paskotsi, scrub your boots, you're going to need them...

 

Great shout. Been doing well since he joined too.

And he did score on his debut for the 18s, lucky omen?

 

Brighton haven’t won at home all season

you know what this means

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Hugo

Tanganga
Toby
Rodon
Davies

Hojberg
Ndombele

Bale
Lamela
Son

Vinicius

 

No Dier?

I’ll take that

 

Stupid kick-off time.
I'm going to be really pissed off at 6.15pm when the teams are announced and we're not playing a striker.

 

wait till he rubs it in with the in game subs

 

Sadly, we won't be seeing our Estonian mafia hitman on the pitch this evening

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I have to applaud Maureen's comments about Joe Rodon. First thing he's said or done to impress me since we beat Arsenal.

 

Hugo
Tanganga Toby Rodon Davies
Sissoko Hojbjerg Tanguy
Bale Vini Son

For me.

Don't want to see Doherty, Dier, Winks, Sanchez, Lucas, Lamela or Stevie anywhere near the starting XI for the foreseeable future.

I think we need the work rate and experience of Sissoko if we're playing two young defenders, including one out of position.

I also feel Sissoko allows Tanguy a bit more freedom to just 'do his thing' without worrying as much about defending. Winks doesn't do the same as he is too easily bullied. I also think it's the only way we can play Bale without being totally overrun on our right flank.

On the ball, push Davies further up, shift Tanganga across to make a back 3 and Sissoko out right to cover, Hojbjerg hangs back to cover the channels while Tanguy drifts centrally to play in the pockets behind the front 3. Vini uses his presence to do nothing more than occupy their big lads at the back, Son and Bale - fed by Tanguy - exploit the gaps.

There, tactics ain't that hard. I'll gladly donate the £8m per year to charity as long as I get petrol money and a new laptop.

 

Fixed it for you, mate.

 

I wouldn't go that far. Look, at the end of the day a lot of these players are useful squad players. Good for cup games or covering for injuries, but nothing more. Reality is we can't afford to populate the wider squad with much better than them and we'd struggle to improve on them with our current wage ceiling.

The likes of Lamela (and sadly Lo Celso if he carries on like this) do need to go as there is little point being a squad player if the main cover you provide is across the treatment table.

Our most chronic issue over the past 2-3 years is how stocking fillers somehow worked their way into being first team regulars - even earning bumper new contracts - without doing anything of note to deserve it. We just lacked alternatives due to zero or poor recruitment, as well as vastly superior players declining quicker than anticipated. In years to come, we'll look back on the sub-total of appearances racked up by the likes of Sissoko, Winks, Aurier, Lucas, Lamela, Dier etc. and be gobsmacked. The most damning evidence is the fact that none of them were first-choice players in the early stages or at least for significant chunks of their careers here. Yet now they're all like that one stubborn post-curry skidmark that cannot be shifted for love nor money.

 

Bergwijn in fairness can be a decent player but he’s just shot for confidence.

Lucas purely from a cup perspective is solid enough, as he’s shown in Europa. Though we can still do better.

The rest can get in the bin. They’re not good enough as squad players and certainly not starting ones.

 

95 minutes of 'defending', so that we have a slight chance of nicking a 0-0?

 

From the "season compass" viewpoint, even Jose at the moment
surely cannot do worse than a 3-0 loss (it will take a "special"
performance to do that) .

 

Thanks a bunch for that thought....
You just know what's going to happen now!

 

Both Dan Kilpatrick and Lilywhite Rose are saying Bale is starting, whilst Dan also is under the impression Aurier isn't. Is it bad that the latter is disappointing news if it means Doherty's starting? Hopefully it's Tanganga but I don't hold much hope. No word on Vinicius but I think we all know what will happen.